Lateral guiding means for heavy door posts



Nov. 4, 1947. w. JQLAUFERSWEILER El'AL 2,430,063

LATERAL-GUIDING MEANS FOR HEAVY DOOR POSTS Filed Feb. l5, l943 3 Sheets-Sheet l llvl/flvraps n W/LLMM J. LlQl/ffFJWf/lfp Ram; n/0,1 50

w. J. LAUFERSWEILER ETAL ,430,063

LATERAL GUIDING MEANS FOR HEAVY DOOR POSTS Nov. 4, 1947.

:s Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 15, 1943 y lm/ewroes WILL/4M J. MUFEPJMHMP 8y P0744 2 THOMPSON Nov. 4, 1947. w. JQ LAUFERSWEILER ETAL' V 2,430,063

LATERAL GUIDING-MEANS FOR HEAVY DOOR POSTS Filed Fb. 15, 1945 s Sheets-Sheet s Patented Nov. 4, 1947 LATERAL GUIDING MEANS FOR HEAVY DOOR POSTS William J. Laufersweiler and Royal E. Thompson, Columbus, Ohio, assignors to The Kinnear Manufacturing Company, Columbus, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application February 15, 1%3, Serial No. 475,912

2 Claims. 1

The primary object of the invention is to provide improved means adjacent the bottom of the door for guiding a pilaster or mullion over an obstruction or elevated portion of the floor, whereby the necessity for the use of a track in the floor is eliminated; in a preferred form this means takes the form of a cable which is readily removable from the door opening after the pilasters and mullions have all been moved to the sides of the opening.

Other objects will more fully hereinafter a pear.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a door embodying the principles of the present invention; this view is taken from within the hangar.

Figure 2 is a horizontal section of a modified form wherein the mullion for the central section of the door is adapted to be guided by a cable instead of by a deck track in its movement to the side of the door opening,

Figure 3 is an enlarged elevational view showing details of the cable guiding means for guiding the mullion in its movement to the side of the door opening,

Figure 4 is a section on the line 3-4 of Figure 3 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 5 is a section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawings in detail, and first particularly to Figure 1, the opening of the hangar is adapted to be closed by three flexible rolling steel curtains lwhich are made up of interengaging slats 5 and are adapted to be rolled upwardly about a drum contained within a drum housing to thereby open the door. The bottom bar of the door, designated as 3, is provided with a rubber seal 2 adapted to engage the deck 5 of the ship. A movable pilaster 8 is provided at the intersection of adjoining curtains and serves to guide the curtains in their vertical movement and to support them against movement inwardly or outwardly. At the sides of the door opening a stationary pilaster 9 is provided. Intermediate the pilasters there is provided a movable post known as a mullion and designated by reference numeral l0. Mullion It serves to guide the door in its vertical movement and to reinforce it against inward pressure of water or wind, the door or curtain being disposed outwardly of mullions Ill, as will appear from Figure 2. Mullions It and movable pilasters 8 are adapted to be locked into position by locking rods H which are adapted to engage sockets 34 in the deck, and other sockets (not shown) in the superstructure,

directly thereabove and to be locked or unlocked by a hand wheel ii. In this way, the mullions and pilasters can be unlocked in order to move them out of the door opening. As will be ap parent, the curtains i will be raised before the locking means H is unlocked, the pilasters and mullions being subsequently moved out of the way.

In order to reinforce the lower portion of the door t against water, a water bracing is provided. This bracing is made up of horizontal members 15 to which are pivotally dependent vertical braces M which extend down to a point adjacent the bottom of the door. Members 15 are pivoted at IS with respect to mullions It and the opposite end is adapted to be received behind a looking member 26 on pilasters 8 and 9. Lines it are provided for raising and lowering the water bracing, as will be apparent from Figure 1.

Mullions iii and movable pilasters 8 are sup ported from an I-beam track l9 by means of a trolley, or carrier, designated generally as H. Trolleys ll pivotally support the heavy mullion or pilaster as by means of a pivot shaft 29 or in any other suitable manner. The trolley wheels 25 are adapted to ride upon the upper surface of the lower web 2!. In order to motivate the trolley ll along the track it an endless hand chain 22 is provided which extends downwardly to a point where it can be readily operated by hand from the deck. Chain 22 encircles a wheel 23 which connects with any suitable type propolling mechanism for moving the heavy pilasters and mullions by operating the chain.

The load is pivoted on the trolley ll so as to allow it to swing parallel to the plane of the overhead track l9 without lifting an end of the carriage upwardly ofi the track l9.

Track 59 is made up of two portions, each of which extends from a point adjacent the side of the door opening to the center of the door opening, the track being outwardly inclined at a slight angle relative to the curtains A, as will be apparent from the drawings. This angle is such that the trolleys employed in the usual construction will all engage a common track. However, in the construction of Figure 2 it is not possible to use a common track for all trolleys, it being necessary to use a single separately disposed track for the central mullion lb.

The ends of the curtain 4 are received and guided by the intermediate movable pilasters 8 The mullions it] are provided on their forward faces with wood strips 4! (Figure 4) which are adapted to engage the curtain with a minimum of friction.

For guiding the lower end of the pilasters 8 or the mullions 48 in their movement to the side of the door opening, a number of different methods maybe employed. A deck track 42' is shown in Figure 2. The deck track 12 maybe mounted either above or below the deck. Casters are provided at the bottoms of the mullions ill and pilasters 8 for engagement with deck track 42. The deck track 32 will be inclined at an angle relative to the door (see Figure 2) and parallel to the trolley track or tracks. l9 which will be located exactly thereabove. In Figures 2 and 3 to there is illustrated an alternative form of construction wherein the hangar has an up wardly inclined runway 14 in its center, and has a slanting deck surface ,5 at either side of the runway 66, the sections i5 and 34, merging at the joint line 35. Surface 45 slants downwardly from the edge of the runway M towards the sides of the hangar where it merges with a horizontal surface il. The central mullion I8 is thus unable to be guided by a, deck track because its lower end is elevated above the lower ends of the first mullion Iii and the first pilaster 8. Accordingly, a flexible stayline #18 is provided for guiding the central mullion 15, this line i8 being stretched tautly parallel to deck track d2 between 2. pin 39 located adjacent the center of the door opening and a vertical assembly 5% located at the side of the door opening. This stayline G8 has ears 5! at its outward end which are adapted to be slidably received over a forwardly extending pin 52 slidably mounted in the upper end of vertical pin 49. The other end of stay-line 58 is provided with .a member as extending through vertical assembly 5!}. An internally threaded end wheel 55 is provided on the outward end of this member 55, whereby stay-line 53 may be tautened. Mullion ill is provided at its lower end with cars 56 adapted to slidably engage stayline 48 and guide mullion iii in its movement. As indicatedv in Figures 2 and 5, a socket a l is provided below the inclined surface 44 for the reception of locking pins 33. A roller 57 mounted on support 58 (Fig. 5) is provided for rollingly engaging stayline 48. Thus, central mullion m is adapted to be moved back and forth along stayline 48. After it has been moved to this position at the side of the door opening adjacent vertical assembly 59, hand wheel 55 may be rotated so as to loosen stayline E8 whereupon its inward end may be removed from attachment with vertical pin 69, by pulling slidable pin 52 out of ears 5|. The stayline 58 may then be removed to a position at the side of the hangar. Thereafter, when it is desired to move the mullion it! into position, stayline 28 will be replaced and the mullion will be moved to the center of the door opening by the actuation of trolley I"! by means of hand chain 22.

For locking the pilasters and mullions at the side of the opening, sockets 59 (Figure 2) are provided in the deck and corresponding sockets (not shown) are provided in the superstructure. In this way, the mullions and pilasters may be locked by means of locking rods II at the sides oi the door opening.

This application is a division of our application Ser. No. 291,944, filed August 25, 1939.

Having thus fully described our invention, what We claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In association with a door, a movable post member, means for guiding the lower end of post member in its movement, comprising a stayline extending parallel to the path of movement of said movable member and positioned to the bottom of said movable member, means fixedly attached to the bottom of said movable member for guiding the bottom of said movable member in its movement, said last named means including spaced ears having portions encircling said stayline at spaced points along said stay ne, a supporting member extending between said ears, and roller means mounted on said sup porting m mber and rollingly engaging said stayline at a point between said encircling portions.

2. In association with a door, a movable post member, means for guiding the lower end of said post member in its movement, comprising a stayline extending parallel to the path of movement of said movable member, a bracket fixedly aitached to the bottom of said movable member and having a pair of sleeves spaced from each other for encircling said stay-line for guiding the bottom of said movable member in its movement, said bracket including. spaced supports for said sleeves and a third support connecting said supports first named and extending longitudinally of said stay-line, and a roller having a bearing in said third support for positioning said roller substantially midway between said sleeves and between said movable member and said stay-line at a point between said sleeves for rollingly engaging said stay-line said roller having its axis of rotation substantially perpendicular to said stayline for spacing the .lower portion of said movable member relative to said stay-line for preventing friction between said sleeves and said stay line.

WILLIAM J. LAUFERSWEILER. ROYAL E. THOMPSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATE'L QTS' Number Name Date 609,605 Agard Aug. 23, 1898 722,370 Leslie Mar. 10, 1903 1,566,451 Vaughn Dec. 22, 1925 1,925,473 Willard Sept. 5. 1933 2,023,691 McCIoud Dec. 10, 1935 

